STARKVILLE, Miss. – Of the 14 Mississippi State baseball players from the 2013 NCAA College World Series finalist squad to have signed professional contracts, right-handed pitcher Kendall Graveman became the first to make it to Major League Baseball. The Toronto Blue Jays of the American League East officially added the Alexander City, Ala., native to their roster late Monday night as part of MLB’s annual September roster expansion from 25 to 40.

“We are so proud of what Kendall has accomplished in such a short amount of time,” head coach John Cohen said. “We know he will have a tremendous amount of success at that level, because of how great of a person he is and how hard he works.”

Blowing through four different stops in the minor leagues since the beginning of the spring, the 2013 eighth-round pick became the 50th Diamond Dawg to reach the big leagues. The righty is the third pitcher in the last two months and the ninth overall to make it to MLB after having been coached collegiately by MSU pitching coach Butch Thompson.

In stops of Lansing (A), Dunedin (High A), New Hampshire (AA) and Buffalo (AAA) this year, the righty collected a 14-6 record in 27 starts, owning a 1.83 ERA with 115 strikeouts and 31 walks. Overall, it took Graveman just 37 appearances to reach the biggest stage in baseball, dating back to his professional debut on July 14, 2013.

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